Chapter 147: Gion Searches for People
Hancock narrowed her eyes at Roy.
Heh.
Did he say "Toki" on purpose just to irritate her?
Was he trying to bait her into staying longer, then feed her French bread again?
Ugh. What a shameless boyfriend.
She was not falling for it.
"I'm leaving. When I come back, I'll punish you properly!" Hancock declared, glaring as she climbed onto the snake and waved goodbye.
"You don't look too good today," Roy said with an innocent blink. "Why not take one more day off?"
Hancock's brows twitched. Her glare sharpened into something that could cut steel.
"Tch. I'll be in even worse shape tomorrow," she snapped, giving him a look that said she knew exactly what he was doing.
Then she patted Aonami's head and prepared to head home.
...
Sigh.
Roy leaned against the railing, watching her figure shrink into the distance.
Hancock was gone, and his source of happiness was gone too.
To be honest, he had plenty of sources of happiness, including water.
Still, he was reluctant to let her go.
...
"Master, it's time for training!"
Sanji's shout came from the side. Luffy stood there too, grinning wide, all big teeth and reckless confidence.
"Ah… okay…" Roy stood up weakly, grabbed the massive weight beside him, and trudged forward.
Like a fish out of water, he led his two kids toward Mount Colubo, looking as if the world had ended.
...
Cocoyasi Village.
In the middle of the orange grove stood a cozy little home.
Bellemere sat inside, sewing quietly.
"Nojiko, don't run, stop!"
"Come catch me!"
Nami was still darting around, chasing and playing with Nojiko until they were both tired. When she finally ran out of energy, Nami sat down with the book she had kept and began reading in rare silence.
"Nami wants a handsome big brother now. She doesn't like her big sister anymore!"
Nojiko leaned close with a mischievous grin, her eyes flicking to the photo on the table beside Nami.
"Y you're talking nonsense!" Nami shot back, cheeks puffed with indignation. "Where would that even…"
She just wanted Roy's money.
Yes. Money, and also the fact that he brought her a book every day he visited.
She, Nami, was not some shallow girl who only cared about looks. She cared about knowledge.
Still…
She never expected handsome Roy to be like that.
"Alright, alright, I'm done teasing you." Nojiko laughed and shook her head.
Nami finally breathed out and looked toward Bellemere.
"Who are you knitting clothes for? For Nami?"
Bellemere smiled and shook her head.
"Then for Nojiko?" Nojiko asked hopefully, eyes bright.
Bellemere smiled again, and shook her head again.
"Ah… I see that style…" Nojiko's face suddenly turned horrified. "Wait, does Bellemere like Roy? Is that for him?"
Nami froze, staring at Bellemere in shock, like her brain refused to process the words.
DUANG! DUANG!
Bellemere set the clothes and needles aside and chopped both girls on the head.
"Idiots. Stop making wild guesses. I'm not interested in that boy!"
It was the first time Bellemere had ever sounded that angry. Nami and Nojiko teared up instantly and hurried to apologize.
Bellemere picked up her needle and thread again, her tone calmer, but still firm.
"That big brother is actually much younger than me. He's only sixteen this year. I'm truly not interested in him."
"I just made this to show my gratitude in the best way I can."
"After all, he taught Nami so much about navigation and the seas of the world, helped solve our family's financial crisis, and gave Nami gifts."
After she finished, Nami and Nojiko nodded together and stopped fooling around.
A gentle breeze drifted through the grove, carrying the faint scent of oranges.
Nami rested her head on the table, tilting it to stare at the path leading out of the grove.
She was bored.
Roy.
When would he come walking back down that road and continue telling her stories?
She was genuinely looking forward to his interesting tales, and his navigation knowledge from all over the world.
...
The first half of the Grand Line.
The sea surged in violent swells. Above, thunder rumbled, and dark clouds pressed down like a lid over the sky.
A fierce wind cracked flags like whips as a warship raced toward the Calm Belt.
On deck, the crew hurried through their duties.
Inside the captain's cabin, Gion stood by the window in a Marine justice cloak. Her long black hair was tied into a bun, spilling down her back. Two loose strands slipped free as her pale fingers brushed them aside, letting them fall against her fair cheeks.
She blinked slowly, watched the raging sea, and then sat down.
Her chest shifted with the motion.
Reaching behind her, she took out a piece of yatsuhashi, parted her lips slightly, took a small bite, and chewed with care.
Her work was done, and she had a long stretch of leisure ahead. So she accepted a task Tsuru had deliberately arranged, using it as an excuse to go to the East Blue and help Tsuru investigate a matter.
Momousagi was only one of the younger officer stationed at Marineford right now, but her strength was beyond doubt.
In the future, she would become an admiral candidate. That alone proved her power.
And in this world, there were women like Charlotte Linlin, Gion, and Tsuru.
Yet even so, many people still believed women were physically weaker than men.
Even Zoro's memories showed it clearly, in the way Koushirou treated Kuina at the dojo.
Why was Kuina always so anxious?
Because Koushirou did not trust her. He did not believe a girl could become as strong as a boy like Zoro.
Then tragedy struck. Kuina fell to her death down the stairs.
Zoro later got lost…
The two strongest swordsmen from that dojo, one died and the other went chasing the strongest, and neither inherited the dojo.
Koushirou: Stop talking!!!
In an era like this, for Gion to reach admiral candidate status was proof enough.
And at the same time, by pure coincidence…
Much later, Gion and Hancock, who would eventually clash endlessly, passed each other on the vast sea.
The ocean was so wide that Hancock emerged from a distant stretch of the Calm Belt, while Gion, on her warship, entered the Calm Belt from the opposite side.
...
Foosha Village, the back mountain, Mount Colubo.
"Alright, you two, get over here!"
Roy pointed at Luffy and Sanji, both filthy, covered in mud, then pointed at the small river beside them.
They had trained all day, and the two kids still managed to fool around until they looked like they had crawled through a swamp.
Roy was dirty too.
So he decided the three of them would go wash off together, and swim for a bit.
Rustle.
A giant snake suddenly slid out of the tall grass and raised its head.
"Tsk. Perfect," Roy chuckled, turning toward it and licking his lips. "Now dinner's here too."
"Dinner!" Luffy licked his lips behind him.
"It'll be amazing!" Sanji's eyes lit up as he stared at the snake.
Meanwhile, far away in the New World, in a land of nations.
Inside Charlotte Linlin's castle.
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